Four things about me

Hello, lovelies (oh, and hello to the newbies - thanks for joining us on this crazy planet!). Well, today we didn’t have any disasters happen, unlike yesterday. I really appreciate all your supportive comments and it was comforting to know that a lot of you have similar horror stories.

On a brighter note, I have been the thrilled recipient of some blog love this week (more on that next time). To start with, a few days ago, the delightful Amanda at Homely One kindly tagged me in her post Four Things. Amanda has been blogging for just over a year and writes engagingly about her loves for her little daughter, Grace, cooking, crafting and decorating. Do stop by her blog and say hello if you have a chance. So, here goes! Here are some titbits about me.

Four things that are usually in my handbag

1. My trusty blue floral Envirosax fold-up shopping bag (fabulous when running errands or stopping by at the supermarket for a quick top-up shop, especially when I have heaps to carry as well as hold the pixies’ hands)

2. My favourite MAC matte lipstick, Eden Rocks, a brilliant all-rounder which fits in with my busy life and never lets me down

3. My small navy and white Studio Antic spiral-bound notebook for jotting down web addresses, blog ideas and names of books I’d like to buy (usually used on the rare occasion when I’m sitting down, relaxing at the hairdresser’s and reading magazines)

4. My Ego SunSense Toddler Milk 30+ roll-on sunscreen (I’m always prepared, like a good Girl Guide, to ensure the pixies don’t get sunburnt)

Four things that are in my bedroom

1. My little collection of pottery colonial cottages (made in Hobart by Pauline Shugg of Moonpenny Pottery – they are mainly based on houses found in Hobart. I love the sense of connection they provide to our colonial history.)

2. A pile of my treasured books (most of my books are stacked “somewhere in the shed” according to Mr PB. Sigh. These are more recent purchases reflecting my love of all things French, interior design, etiquette and cross-stitch.)

3. My delicate paper replicas of the graceful old shops in the Prinzipalmarkt in Münster, Germany which I posted about here (I made them back in 1989 and they have travelled around the world with me ever since. They’re now a bit worse for wear but still precious to me.)

4. My treasured button collection which belonged to my grandmother (I played with these endlessly as a child, sorting them into shapes and colours and making patterns with them. The pixies love playing with ‘Nanny’s buttons’. I’ll do a post on them one day.)

Four things that I would like to have done but never did

1. Sat down with my grandmother (my Dad’s mum) long before she died and chatted to her about her childhood and our family history (I am fascinated about tracing our family trees and so much knowledge and memories died with her.)

2. Done the same with my grandfather (my Mum’s dad) as he was very interested in researching our family history. I could have introduced him to the wonders of the internet as a research tool and helped him work past the dead ends he had found.

3. Climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower in 1989 (I only managed to get to the second level as the lift wasn’t working properly)

Isn't this a spectacular view over Paris from the Eiffel Tower?

4. Met my grandfather (my Dad’s father) who died of an accident long before I was born (He had seen and experienced so much – looking for work to support his young family during the Great Depression, serving with the Royal Australian Air Force in New Guinea during the Second World War and coxing an Australian rowing team at the 1948 London Olympics.)

Four things that you don’t know about me

1. I am a navy blue girl, through and through. It took me many years before I wore any black at all. Now I wear them both but my heart will always remain navy.

2. I wear contact lenses. The best invention ever. Especially when I’m surrounded by little people who delight in pulling off my glasses on the rare occasions I wear them (and which are now both scratched and damaged owing to the actions of a certain nameless daughter. Hmm.) Yes, contact lenses were definitely designed by a parent.

3. I adore eating Niederegger Schwarzbrot marzipan from Lübeck in Germany. I can make it last for days, savouring every sweet mouthful. For years, I only received it when my host parents sent it to me for my birthday and Christmas. Now I can get in Hobart which makes me a very happy camper. 

Sehr lecker (very delicious!)

4. I was one of the last people allowed to walk to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in July 1989 before it was closed for restoration work and to stabilise its tilt - it reopened to the public in December 2001. It was the most curious sensation to walk up a spiral staircase with a tilt – I alternated between leaning inwards to grab the central column and outwards to grab the wall. Oh, and there was the most cursory of metal guardrails at the top!

So there you have it! Is anyone else a marzipan lover? Or a contact lens wearer? Do you have any treasured mementoes from your travels? Or conversations you wish you’d had with someone? Do share – it’s fun to learn more about what makes us all tick, don’t you think?

I’d like to tag the following four fabulous bloggers to play along if they’d like:

• Felicity at Gifts of Serendipity

• Melissa at Miss Sew & So

• Sarah at Oesch & Doots

• Tina at Rubies’ Place

Do visit these lovely ladies and their delightful blogs if you have a chance. You’ll enjoy yourself!

Seven things about me

So, how is your weekend going?  It was a real red letter day for me, despite Hobart's steady, ceaseless rain. I had the most unexpected and absolute thrill of being passed the Kreativ Blogger Award by the delightful Ashleigh at Mm is for me. I am so flattered that Ash thought of my little blog. She was one of my first bloggy friends and is the very talented creator of beautiful personalised children's clothing and wall stickers which use phonics. Sam has some of her gorgeous little slippers - I highly recommend her.

This is the first time I have ever participated in a meme but here goes! Here are seven things that you may not know about me.

1. I spent 1989 living in (the then) West Germany as a Rotary Exchange Student. It was a thrilling year to be in Europe as the Soviet Empire started to crumble. I was in both East and West Berlin twice in the months leading up to the opening up of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. I stayed up all night watching the television as history unfolded in front of me, scarcely believing what I was seeing. Extraordinary.

That magical night at the Berlin Wall

2. I am a water girl. Of the 'drink two litres a day' variety. Strictly no coffee. It makes me feel very ill. The same goes for anything mocha flavoured or coffee liqueur chocolates. No tea either, unless it's peppermint or rosehip. And that's very rarely.

3. I am a stickler for good grammar. A pedant, actually. I've read Lynne Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' cover to cover. Twice. And made mental notes. Don't torment me with typos. Especially on menus. Oh, and don't get me started on greengrocers' apostrophes! 

4. I still use the Bambi sewing basket my godmother gave me for my 10th birthday. You can tell I'm a child of the 1970s! I think I'll give it to India when she's a little older and buy myself a grownup version.

5. We have an old family story which may be apocryphal - I'm not sure. Apparently one of my forebears owned a substantial amount of real estate in the Melbourne CBD in the 1850s. He then raced off to the goldfields around Ballarat to make his fortune, effectively abandoning his claim to the land. I'm not sure whether he found gold but our family is no longer sitting on a goldmine of land in Melbourne!

6. I have several convict ancestors. Announcing that fact used to be a most embarrassing thing in Australia in the not too distant past. Now people almost hope they had such an interesting heritage! My forebear, Maria Briant, was transported for seven years from England to Van Diemen's Land in 1832 for 'feloniously stealing from her father's dwelling house at Minchinhampton two counterpanes, a shawl and apron, a cap and a pair of stockings, his property'. At least she wasn't a murderer, I suppose!

7. I used to go dragonboat racing in Sydney with the DSA Club. Have you ever heard of that sport? Gee, it's a challenging one. It is an adrenalin-pumping water sport with origins stemming back over 2000 years to the rivers of China. Teams consist of 20 paddlers plus a sweep and a drummer who work together to propel the boat forward for race distances of 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m. The feeling of driving a two tonne boat to the finish line at speeds of over 18 kmh is awesome!

There's me, up the back with the blonde hair and the paddle raised

So, there you go - now you know a little more about me!

Tonight I'm passing on the meme to:

1. My friend Ann at My Villa Life, a delightful insight into life as an expat, journalist mother of two young boys in Auckland and what inspires her. Her crisp writing and amusing insights are a joy to read.

2. The lovely A-M at The House that A-M Built who has provided sweet encouragement to me. She writes beautifully about her life as a mum and wife and indulges in 'realestalking' (her word!).

3. The talented Janette at My Sweet Prints, a mum and graphic designer who creates adorable prints like the Bed Time Bus Roll I wrote about here.

4. The inspirational Corrie at Retro Mummy, a fabulously talented mum to three young children (including twins) with another on the way. Somehow she manages to raise her family, run a fabric shop, teach craft at Notebook Magazine's The Craft Room and blog. She's also managed to find the time to pass on some helpful blogging tips to me.

5. The delightful Sonia at Sunday's Child, a Hobart mum who makes adorable children's clothes and accessories. The pixies all wear her divine creations. She provided me with so much encouragement when I started blogging - thanks, Son!

So, eek! It's late. Time for bed!

Jane